Sailing boats and especially those of the racing classes are characterized by a wide variety of sails, and some of which have become highly specialized. In addition to mainsails, mizzen and stay-sails, there are the head-sails which include various sized jibs and in particular the spinnakers of large area. And it is the spinnaker with which this invention is particularly concerned, inasmuch as sailboat racing requires the ultimate use of such head-sails in order to compete by driving the boat hull to its maximum.
High performance sailboat rigs have evolved into what is referred to as "high aspect ratio rigs", wherein the height of the sails is great in proportion to the length of the hull. That is, masts are taller and booms are shorter than they were in boats of the recent past, and to the end that the moment arm between the roll center and mast head is proportionately increased. In light air this increased lever is no problem and it is possible to maintain a masthead rig and a maximized slot between the jib and the main. But heavy air usually requires a reduction of said moment arm and which has been effected by a compromise wherein the forestay terminates a substantial distance below the masthead, so as to reduce the fore triangle and to provide a lower position for the heads of the various head sails including spinnakers used in both light and heavy airs. Needless to say, this is a restriction of the rig which limits performance in light air while providing a margin of safety in heavy air. It is the so called "knock-down" or "broach" which is to be avoided, the situation which so often occurs when the force becomes so great in a lateral direction at the masthead that the boat heels excessively and/or runs violently out of control, and in many cases end up with the mast almost parallel with the water. However, the yachtsman must carry maximum sail and chance knock-down in order to compete, it being a general object of this invention to permit him to carry maximum sail while reducing the chance of knock-down.
It is the fore-triangle of a sailboat that carries the head-sails and which is comprised of the mast and the forestay separated along the foreward deck and convergent to a point along the mast, and preferably at the head of the mast when maximizing the fore-triangle for light air. In practice, a high aspect mainsail is established by increasing the height of the mast while shortening the boom, and this may be accomplished with or without raising the fore-triangle although it is advantageous to run the forestay to the masthead so as to establish a slot coextensive between the mainsail and headsail. Obviously, this so-called "masthead rig" places the spinnaker halyard sheave at the top of the mast and establishes a lever arm of invariable height or length, a fixed maximum height. The head of the spinnaker is flown therefrom by attachment of a halyard thereto and which is lifted over the halyard sheave to draw therefrom. However with the present invention, it is an object to provide a "spinnaker header" that is adjustable as to height and adapted to be lifted to any point up to the masthead, thereby adjusting the aforesaid lever arm as may be required and accommodating all spinnakers including those of maximum size. That is, by selectively lowering the spinnaker header of the present invention the moment arm can be reduced as circumstances require and greater driving force maintained from larger spinnakers that could otherwise be flown from a masthead.
The "spinnaker header" of the present invention is lifted into position by the halyard and secured thereat by a downhaul, with the head of the spinnaker attached thereto. A feature of this invention is the use of the forestay to guide the spinnaker header on the boat center line to the desired height, it being observed that tremendous and unbearable forces would be created by drawing from the forestay at one intermediate point therealong. That is, it is not feasible to apply the head forces of a spinnaker to an intermediate point along the forestay, and it is therefore an object of this invention to provide means transferring these head forces from the forestay and directly to the hull. With the present invention there is a spinnaker backhaul extending to the boat deck substantially aft of the mast and preferably at or near the stern. This spinnaker backhaul is drawn tight through a block at the windward rail so as to clear the mast, preferably between the masthead and spreader thereby to prevent the forestay from being pulled out of alignment.
The "spinnaker header" of the present invention can take various forms dependent upon the type of rigging to which it is to be applied. Stays for example, are made of steel or aluminum of multi strand or of rod form. Furthermore, the arrangement of stays varies greatly from boat to boat, with special adaptations to forestays which are rigged singularly and in pairs as well. To these ends the spinnaker header may be in the nature of hardware or software, as may be required to adapt the same to the particular rigging installation. For example, in one form the spinnaker header X is in the nature of a trolley for running up hard stainless steel rigging, and in another form the spinnaker header X' is in the nature of a saddle for sliding up softer aluminum rigging and/or multiple stays. As will be described, these two related forms of "spinnaker header" have the same broad functional means including generally, centering means A aligning with the forestay, spinnaker coupling means B, halyard coupling means C, downhaul coupling means D, and backhaul coupling means E. These are the features essential to the present invention and which advantageously adapt to the rigging of high performance sailboats so as to maximize performance when sailing before the wind with a spinnaker which can be of increased size by virtue of the reduction in spinnaker head height.